Macbeth and the Weird Sisters

An original text from 1420 that is, quite ostensibly, in an Old Scottish dialect of English.

68791Macbeth and the Weird SistersAndrew of Wyntoun1420

A nycht he thowcht in hys dreamyng,
That syttand he wes besyd the kyng
At a sete in hwntyng; swa
Intil his leisch had grewhundys; twa
He thowcht, quhile he wes swa syttand,
He sawe threw wemen by gangand;
And thai wemen than thowct he
Thre werd systrys mast lyk to be.
The first he hard say, gangang by,
'Lo, yhondyr the Thane of Crumbawchety!'
The tothir woman sayd agane,
'Of Morave yhondyre I se the thane!'
The thryd than sayd, 'I se the kyng!'
All this he herd in his dreamyng...
Sone eftyre that, in his yhowthad,
Of thyr thanydoms he thane wes made;
Syne neyst he thowcht to be king,
Fra Dunkanyis dayis had tane endying.
The fantasy thus of his dreme
Movyd hym mast to sla his eme;
As he dyd all furth in-dede,
As before yhe herd one rede,
And Dame Growky, his emys wyf,
Tuk, and lef wyth hyr hys ly,
And held hyr bathe hys wyf and queyne,
As befor than scho had beyne
Till hys eme qwene, lyvand
Quhen he was kyng with crone rygnend
For lytil in honowre than had he
The greys of affynyte.
All thus quhen his eme was dede,
He succeedyt in his stede;
And sevyntene syntyr full rygnand
As kyng-he wes than in-til Scotland.
All hys tyme wes gret plente
Abowndand, bath on land and se.
He was in justice rycht lawchful,
And till hys legis all awful.
Quhen Leo the tend was Pape of Rome,
As pylgryne to the court he come;
And in his almus he sew sylver
Till all pure folk that had myster;
And all tyme oysyd he to wyrk
Profitably for haly kyrke.

This work was published before January 1, 1923, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.